Drilling operations may be performed in a variety of locations and settings. Some drilling operations may be performed on land, where a wellbore can be formed by drilling through rock directly beneath a drilling system. Some drilling operations may be performed offshore, such that a wellbore can be formed by first passing through water and then drilling through the seabed. When drilling, a gap (typically referred to as an annulus) may be present between the drill string and the casing and/or outside of the wellbore. In some drilling operations, the annulus may be closed during drilling operations. Some closed annulus drilling operations may include Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD), underbalanced drilling, mud cap drilling, air drilling, and mist drilling.
When performing closed annulus drilling operations, a rotating control device (RCD), also referred to as a rotating drilling device, rotating drilling head, rotating flow diverter, pressure control device, rotating blow out preventer, and rotating annular, may be used to divert drilling fluids returning from the well. The drilling fluids may be diverted into separators, chokes and other equipment. The RCD may function to close off the annulus around a drill string during drilling operations. The sealing mechanism of the RCD, typically referred to as a seal element or packing element (packer), is operable to maintain a dynamic seal on the annulus. More specifically, the packing element is sealed onto the drill string such that, as the drill string rotates, the packing element rotates as well, driving rotation of an inner mandrel relative to a static outer housing of a bearing assembly. When the packing element or bearing assembly become worn with continued use, it is desirable to remove the old packing element or bearing assembly and to insert in a new or repaired component.